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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29413188">Heart Shaped Box</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawbrrycreme/pseuds/strawbrrycreme'>strawbrrycreme</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Boyz (Korea Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Bakery, Baker!Haknyeon, Brownies, Cookies, I Tried, Love Confessions, M/M, Multi, Teacher!Kevin, i mean he has a skateboard, idk how to tag sfw stuff this is hard, idk!Eric, listen eric is just kinda there, skateboarder!eric, valentines day</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:21:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,680</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29413188</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawbrrycreme/pseuds/strawbrrycreme</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“This sounds like a terrible idea.”</p><p>“I, for one, think it's my best idea yet!” Haknyeon sassed back at Sunwoo, who was counting the cash in the register. He had been doing it for thirty minutes because every time he was even close to being done Haknyeon had started the same thought about Kevin and Eric over again.</p><p>“Not to shoot you down, but why exactly do you think this is a good idea?” Sunwoo huffed, laying the money down on the counter and completely turning his attention to bicker with Haknyeon. Sunwoo always wanted to be right and truthfully, he had some choice opinions about this so-called idea.</p><p>“They say the way to a man’s heart is through the stomach! Plus, who could say no to free sweets. <i>My</i> sweets.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ju Haknyeon/Moon Hyungseo | Kevin, Ju Haknyeon/Son Youngjae | Eric</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Heart Shaped Box</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Connah/gifts">Connah</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>beta edited by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kim_Namjunie/pseuds/Kim_Namjunie">kim_namjunie</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyun_jinxed">hyun_jinxed</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailormarsbars">sailormarsbars</a></p><p>  <i>well, this isnt nearly as much of a surprise</i><br/><i>as the fic you gifted to me, I mean, fuck, you</i><br/><i>gave me this entire idea. either way, I hope</i><br/><i>you enjoy baby, this ones for you, I adore</i><br/><i>you to the moon and back! happy vday &lt;3</i></p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/strawbrrycreme">twt</a> | <a href="https://curiouscat.qa/strawbrrycreme">cc</a></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There were these… regulars.</p><p>They came into the bakery a lot, particularly for cookies or pie, and never on the same day. Usually, a few days apart, but they were lovely.</p><p>Yes, Haknyeon had other regulars too, but none of them were like those two. It was silly to think he had a little crush on people that loved his baking, but it was even sillier to think he liked both of them. Really, how could he not.</p><p>“If you met them, you would understand,” Haknyeon commented to Sunwoo, who was busy decorating a birthday cake for a four year old. Covered in frosted flowers, Haknyeon always said when people bought birthday cakes for children it was for taste and not aesthetics.</p><p>Which was why Sunwoo was doing such a terrible job. Okay, it wasn’t terrible, it was pretty good, but it wasn’t Haknyeon’s version of perfect. Sunwoo usually worked the counter, cut cookies, and baked pies for that reason. He might’ve been terrible at icing, but he had an eye for pie crust designs.</p><p>“What can you even learn about them while at work? I hardly talk to anybody at the counter.”  Sunwoo asked, piping some cupcakes to go along with the cake as well. Something about a food allergy so one of the kids couldn’t have the cake. Sunwoo wasn’t paying attention and it meant nothing about his decorating skills.</p><p>Haknyeon lifted his hands from the dough he was kneading to make bread. “Well, I don't know. Kevin teaches children at the elementary school nearby and Eric loves baseball.”</p><p>“I’m not sure those things warrant crushes on either of them.”</p><p>The bell of the bakery door rang, Haknyeon turning to the entrance to see who it was. It was late enough in the afternoon to possibly be Kevin, and his hopes were high to see him again. It was him, dressed in a nice button up and glasses square on his nose, black hair framing the face Haknyeon was so familiar with.</p><p>“Kevin! Good to see you!” Haknyeon called from across the counter as the boy approached. He was all smiles, something that blinded Haknyeon entirely. </p><p>“Good to see you too. Can I get a trio of chocolate chip cookies?” Kevin already had his card ready as Haknyeon busied himself with placing cookies into a small clear bag, tying it at the top with ribbon. </p><p>Haknyeon rang up the order. Something Kevin got a lot was the cookies, usually every couple of days. Sometimes chocolate, sometimes peanut butter, occasionally a new flavor. “Any plans for Valentines day, Kev?”</p><p>Kevin hummed, thinking to himself, “I don't think I do, besides my kiddo’s. I’ll probably stop by in the morning to get them Valentines Cookies.”</p><p>“That's so sweet of you! For me and the kids,” Haknyeon chuckled, letting his face flush a pretty shade of pink as he handed the receipt over to the boy. “I can make you your own batch if you want. That way I can ensure you have enough.”</p><p>“Can I stop by tomorrow to do that? I’m actually late for something,” Kevin smiled awkwardly, taking the receipt and shoving it into his bookbag with his other things he took home for the night from the kids. Worksheets, a binder, the works. </p><p>“Yeah, of course! You know where to find me,” Haknyeon mused lightly, a smile crinkling at his eyes until Kevin nearly disappeared. The boy across the counter brushed his hair out of his eyes when he looked back up at Haknyeon, a smile wandering its way onto his face as well. Haknyeon thought he could almost see him blushing, but perhaps it was just his imagination.</p><p>Kevin waved goodbye for the day. As soon as his figure left Haknyeon’s sight, he slumped to the floor, heaving a big sigh over his adoration for Kevin. The way he was quiet and reserved but as soon as there was a story about one of his kids he loved spending extra time just talking to Haknyeon. </p><p>He wanted more, but Kevin seemed married to his job, and as much as Haknyeon wanted him, he didn’t have the heart to ruin that.</p><p>When the door opened the next day after class, Kevin came in wearing one of Haknyeon’s favorite shirts of his. Yellow and black striped, pushed up on the forearms and his book bag slung over his shoulder. His reading glasses were pushed to the top of his head and he waved to Haknyeon who was in the back while Sunwoo worked the counter.</p><p>Haknyeon waved back, covered in flour to make a batch of cookies. Well, not covered, a light dusting he would say. Definitely dirtied his red apron in white. He cleaned his hands off and tried to dust the flour off of his apron. Presentable was all he could do and Sunwoo was not going to be helpful in ensuring he was.</p><p>He still thought it was silly for him to have crushes on boys he didn’t even know.</p><p>There was probably some flour on the small pad of paper that Haknyeon grabbed off the counter next to Sunwoo along with a red pen. He would have preferred black since it was so easy to read when Haknyeon taped it to the wall above his work station, but he was in a rush to meet Kevin at one of the bakery tables.</p><p>The chair creaked a bit when Haknyeon pulled it out to sit down, scooting his chair in with a screech that made him wince a bit. If only he could stop embarrassing himself. He clicked his pen and wrote down Kevin’s name at the top of the stationary, the border of the paper riddled with strawberry pastries.</p><p>“Thank you for making me cookies, Haknyeon. I really do appreciate it,” Kevin smiled to himself, pulling out a small sheet of white paper to hand over the table. “I figured it would be easiest to doodle what I liked and see if you could make it.”</p><p>Haknyeon took the piece of paper as he listened to Kevin and let out a small, shy chuckle to himself. Kevin’s drawings were cute, six or so hearts with different designs on them. One with <i>love</i> written on it in beautiful lettering, one designed to look like a chocolate covered strawberry, some with various heart designs on it in frosting. They all looked lovely and Kevin’s doodle was beautiful on its own.</p><p>“These are so pretty, Kev,” Haknyeon hummed, using the piece of paper to take notes on. Notes of using a certain kind of piping or chocolate to recreate. “Any allergies or anything? Only a batch of thirty?”</p><p>Kevin hummed through a nod, Haknyeon writing some things down on his notepad along with how much a batch of thirty would cost him. Normally a dozen was twenty dollars, making the total for Kevin fifty, but he knew his margins and that was far too much to charge him. “Can you do thirty for this?”</p><p>“Woah, Haknyeon, that's like a twenty dollar discount! Please, I can pay you the full amount.” Kevin’s eyebrows furrowed a bit in concern, his body leaning toward the table as Haknyeon wrote down the price on his notepad.</p><p>“I still make a profit if you paid me thirty. Plus, it's Valentine's day and these are for your kids,” Haknyeon smiled, tearing off the stationary and placing it on top of Kevin’s cookie sketches. “It's really the least I can do for you when you come visit me so often. I promise it's fine, Kev.”</p><p>Kevin outstretched a hand when Haknyeon met eyes with him. His cheeks immediately flushed, watching as Kevin’s hand moved to touch his hair before pulling back for a moment. He giggled to himself, soft and sweet, not loud at all, “Sorry, can I fluff your hair out? You have some flour.”</p><p>Haknyeon swallowed, his throat feeling so dry, but he nodded and leaned forward, without any thought, to meet Kevin’s hand. The feeling of Kevin gently ruffling his hair had Haknyeon’s heart beating in his ears. Kevin was gentle with it, eyes focused intently on making sure the black strands were rid of any flour.</p><p>When Kevin pulled away, the smile on his face made Haknyeon melt. He was so sweet and gentle that Haknyeon had to blink himself out of the trance Kevin had put him in. “Do you want these the morning of, or will you stop by the night before?”</p><p>“The morning of is good, I’d love to see you before work.”</p><p>God, Haknyeon needed to confess to Kevin before he lost his mind.</p><p>A few days after that, Eric came into the bakery, looking like he was on his way home from work. Haknyeon assumed he worked part time since his coming in was very sporadic, but he never wore any kind of uniform. Just the usual denim skinny jeans and a black tee tucked in at the front.</p><p>He was holding his skateboard in one hand, an iced coffee in the other, and, boy, was he a bundle of energy that day. </p><p>“Haknyeon! How are ya?”</p><p>“Good,” Haknyeon half-laughed, reorganizing the display case since he had to add the upcoming Valentine’s desserts in advance. Lots of people bought things in advance as well as the day of, so it was always good to be prepared. “Valentine’s is always busy around here, but I always love seeing a familiar face.”</p><p>Eric smiled widely, placing his coffee on the counter to pull out his wallet. “Got any plans for Valentine’s besides working?”</p><p>“God, I wish. Even if I had someone to go on a date with, I have to stay open late. Lots of people come in on their way home from work which means I’m here until seven. Are you getting the usual?”</p><p>Eric nodded to Haknyeon’s question, the usual being a four count of chocolate brownies along with some fresh strawberries in the small box. Haknyeon never needed to add the little ribbon around the box, those were meant for cookie orders, but he did for Eric. “It's a shame you can’t get off early. I’ll come visit you in the afternoon! How does that sound?”</p><p>Haknyeon handed over the box of brownies to Eric, ringing him up and the boy paying for it. He never wanted the receipt, Haknyeon tossing it in the little bin underneath the register. “I would love that a lot, actually.” He could feel his cheeks heat up from even such a small confession, “I get so stressed on holidays that having friends come in just to say hello is really nice.”</p><p>“Then I definitely will!” Eric checked his watch for a moment, noting that he had a few extra minutes of time before wherever he was supposed to be. Perhaps meeting a friend. Haknyeon hoped he wasn’t going anywhere where someone meant more than that. “I have some spare time, is there anything you need help with?”</p><p>Haknyeon looked around at his station behind the counter. It was kind of a wreck with making bread and pastries but he couldn’t ask Eric to tidy for him like that. He wanted Eric to stay, not even for a helping hand but just to talk with him for a minute more. </p><p>“I don’t know if I do?” Haknyeon asked himself, making a little note in his head of what he had left to do. “I think the only thing is taking the trash out, but I can’t ask you to do that for me.”</p><p>“Come on, Haknyeon! You know I would do anything you asked me to. It's just the trash, it's the least I can do for you while you’re busy.”</p><p>Haknyeon pondered for a minute, his eyes glancing back between Eric’s figure and the trash that really did need to be taken out. It wouldn’t take long and it wasn’t heavy at all, he could easily do it himself, but Eric was practically begging him. “Please? It’s not anything crazy, and then that's one thing you don't have to worry about!”</p><p>“Fine,” Haknyeon sighed softly, the boy bringing his things to the door that allowed him in the back. It locked from the inside, Haknyeon opening the door for him to walk through. </p><p>Eric placed his skateboard on the floor next to the counter with his coffee and box of goodies, out of the way enough that it wouldn’t be dangerous. The blonde boy made his way to the large trash bin to the side of Haknyeon’s workspace, filled with egg shells and flour bags, along many other packages he had used throughout the two days. He tied it off, pulling it out of the bin and carrying it out of the bakery and tossing it in the trash.</p><p>Haknyeon went back to work on his pastries while Eric went out, half jumping when Eric called his name to be let back in to grab his things. Haknyeon quickly went to open the door, apologizing profusely for getting lost in his work.</p><p>“It’s cute, no worries.” Eric smiled from ear to ear as he passed by Haknyeon’s figure, a hand dragging down his shoulder as a comfort for locking him out of the back. All Haknyeon could do was stand there holding the door to the back, completely flustered. He could still feel the little tingle of what once was Eric’s fingertips on his arm even past when Eric waved goodbye and left him alone in the bakery..</p><p>He needed to confess to Eric too.</p><p> </p><p>“This sounds like a terrible idea.”</p><p>“I, for one, think it's my best idea yet!” Haknyeon sassed back at Sunwoo, who was counting the cash in the register. He had been doing it for thirty minutes because every time he was even close to being done Haknyeon had started the same thought about Kevin and Eric over again.</p><p>“Not to shoot you down, but why exactly do you think this is a good idea?” Sunwoo huffed, laying the money down on the counter and completely turning his attention to bicker with Haknyeon. Sunwoo always wanted to be right and truthfully, he had some choice opinions about this so-called idea.</p><p>“They say the way to a man’s heart is through the stomach! Plus, who could say no to free sweets. <i>My</i> sweets.”</p><p>Haknyeon’s sweets. The idea came to him while he was making dinner and thinking of a way to confess to the boys he had been crushing on for weeks. Two of the smaller cake boxes filled with sweets, a letter taped to the top of the box and wrapped in ribbon. In the letter, he spilled his feelings for the boys and let them know he would be interested in seeing them outside of work, along with his phone number. Inside would be red velvet brownies and linzer cookies in the shape of hearts. Foolproof.</p><p>Sunwoo pulled a cookie from the display, crunching on it since his shift was almost over for the day. Haknyeon wanted to be mad at him but Sunwoo placed a dollar on his stack of bills. “I know your sweets, they’re amazing. The problem is this idea. Think about it, Haknyeon. You have to start tonight to make these things for Kevin in the morning and then probably a whole new batch tomorrow during the day for Eric.</p><p>“I’m not saying you can’t because I know you can, but it's our busiest day of the year. Plus, what if they both say yes? What are you going to do, date them both?”</p><p>Haknyeon shoved his hands into the pockets of his apron, twisting on his heels as he pondered over Sunwoo’s concerns. “Well, I can probably make them all tonight. Make the brownies and frost them, then stuff them in the fridge overnight and then just jam and dust the linzer cookies tomorrow morning. And if they both say yes... I guess I'll figure it out later.”</p><p>“You’re playing a dangerous game, Ju Haknyeon.”</p><p>“Love is dangerous either way! I’d rather they both say yes than ask one who rejects me, not knowing if the other is interested.”</p><p>There was some kind of point there that Sunwoo had to give him, but he just didn’t feel good about it. He left that day partially worried, but Haknyeon was grown and could make decisions for himself.</p><p>That night Haknyeon went to work on his pastries for Kevin, starting with the brownie batter. Red Velvet wasn’t too difficult for him to do, the chocolate and butter melted in a bowl together as he blasted music throughout the bakery. He cracked the eggs one by one, adding them to the mix as he whisked, adding the sugar as well.</p><p>He whisked with a sway to his hips, a smile plastered to his face as he sang. He added the flour, baking soda, vanilla, and food coloring to give it a rich red color. He mixed and mixed until it was fully smooth. Sunwoo always said it was his super power to get all of the chunks out, which made Haknyeon giggle now as he worked.</p><p>The batter was poured into Haknyeon’s favorite brownie pan, the oven long since preheated, and pushed into the heat, the door closing behind it to bake. Haknyeon cleaned up his area to begin the dough for the linzer cookie.</p><p>Dry ingredients first, flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder mixed in a bowl. He used a food processor to ground up almonds and brown sugar together. He was lucky enough to ask both of them if they had nut allergies and neither of them did. He used his electric mixer to combine butter and powdered sugar until it was creamy, then adding his eggs and extracts of vanilla and almond.</p><p>With the ground almonds added to his butter concoction, he added his flour until his dough was made. He grabbed his large ball of dough and placed it on a pan to proof for the next hour and half. Honestly, he probably should’ve done this before he started his brownies, but it gave him the time to tidy and clean the bakery.</p><p>He danced around the bakery, sweeping and mopping the floors, cleaning the tables and just having fun, stopping to pull his brownies from the oven when they were done baking and popping them in the fridge to cool. Then, it was back to work! He probably should make a batch of Valentine’s cookies before the night was over to have enough for the morning in case anybody came before Sunwoo and his first batches in the morning.</p><p>He went to work on those, along with making the cream cheese frosting for the brownies. Frosted those babies and placed them back in the fridge overnight. He worked late into the evening, baking the dough for the linzer cookies, having to roll them out and cut them into two heart shapes, one with a heart hole in the center for the top and ones without for the bottom.</p><p>While they baked he also made his homemade strawberry jam for the cookies, finishing well past midnight. It was an early morning but he had already written letters of adoration for each of the boys while he waited for everything to finish baking. </p><p>The next morning, he woke up early to make his way down to the bakery, dressed up in a nice red striped dress shirt and his favorite pair of jeans. He immediately began working on his first box for Kevin, jamming half the batch of linzer cookies and constructing them together, a dusting of powdered sugar on top. The box itself was very pretty and Haknyeon knew they would taste delicious too, wrapping the box in a bow and setting it to the side.</p><p>Sunwoo arrived as soon as Haknyeon finished with Kevin’s present, both immediately working on batches of cookies and brownies for Valentine's day, Haknyeon working on Kevin’s order. Customers were already coming into the shop, Haknyeon moving between the register and working on the cookies. He wanted them to be fresh for the kids, he was just hoping his extra time working on Kevin’s present didn’t set him too far behind.</p><p>When the frosting was finished setting, Haknyeon put them into a box as neatly as possible, setting it to the side along with Kevin’s present. He had already paid for them and he would likely be in a rush to leave for school.</p><p>Kevin came through the doors, immediately stealing Haknyeon’s attention. He looked amazing, stunning even. A black sweater with bright pink hearts patterned like polka dots around it. “Happy Valentines, Haknyeon! You seem busy already, I see.”</p><p>Haknyeon nodded, partly too stressed about the line he needed to ring up and get orders while Sunwoo pulled a batch of brownies to cool. “Definitely, I’d love to talk to you more but my hands are a bit full.”</p><p>He grabbed the box of cookies, handing them over Kevin giving a bright smile with a thank you. Haknyeon was so busy he nearly forgot, Kevin turning on his heels and walking away. No, he couldn’t miss his chance, not like this.</p><p>“Wait, Kevin!” Haknyeon grabbed the box and bolted around the counter, Sunwoo returning to work the register and giving him enough time to meet Kevin at the door. “I made these for you, as a thank you for coming in so often.”</p><p>Kevin’s eyes were wide, peeking into the box of cookie and brownies only to look back up at Haknyeon. His eyes sparkled beautifully in awe of the gesture, as Haknyeon placed it on top of the box already in his hands. “Haknyeon, I can’t-”</p><p>“It's okay, I promise,” He mused softly in return, letting his hands fall to brush against Kevin’s, “I want you to have them since I made them for you.”</p><p>Sunwoo called Haknyeon back to the counter, the boy dashing away from Kevin, who couldn’t help but freeze in the doorway for a moment. He took the box of sweets, knowing he couldn’t say no to Haknyeon when he was so kind.</p><p>The rest of the day was insanely busy too, but Haknyeon found the time to finish Eric’s box as well, somehow, some way. He was determined and Sunwoo saw how committed he was to both of the boys that came in.</p><p>Eric did come in when he said, just during the slow time of the day. The workstation was absolutely wrecked from everything so far, but they had enough for the rush after work as well. Or hopefully, at least. “Eric, thank god! I needed a breath of fresh air.”</p><p>“Do you have the time to go get a coffee with me? You said you were going to work late today so you’ll be needing the energy.”</p><p>Haknyeon glanced over at Sunwoo, who rolled his eyes but nodded, moving back to his work. Haknyeon practically ripped his apron off and dusted himself free of any flour or powdered sugar to make himself the most presentable before meeting Eric on the opposite side of the counter.</p><p>You really don't have to buy me coffee, Eric.” He held the door open for Haknyeon as they both left the bakery behind to the cafe just a few doors down. </p><p>“It’s really nothing, you deserve a treat today if nobody else can give you one.”</p><p>Haknyeon opened the door for Eric into the cafe, beating him to it so he wouldn’t be the only gentleman. The pink on his cheeks was probably obvious, this being the closest date he would probably get with Eric.</p><p>“What do you like, Haknyeon?” Eric asked, the pair standing in line. This time of the afternoon there weren't many people out and about, a couple standing in front of them but that was it. Their hands were intertwined and Haknyeon debated moving a hand to hold Eric’s like that, but he couldn’t. It was probably warm though, maybe a little rough. He shook his thoughts to answer.</p><p>“An iced mocha would be good. Whatever size you can spare the cash for?” Haknyeon hummed lightly, inspecting the menu hanging past the order counter.</p><p>Eric nodded, moving up in line to order as soon as the couple in front of them were done. He ordered for the both of them, swiping his card, before the two of them stood to the side to wait for their drinks. </p><p>“So uhh, how was your day?” Haknyeon asked awkwardly, shifting his weight in his feet. He was thinking about giving Eric his box of sweets, how that letter implied more moments like these. Just more serious. More formal.</p><p>Eric laughed a bit, leaning against the wall they were waiting by, “it was pretty good. Valentine’s is a weird day for me so nothing is really different.”</p><p>“Weird how?” Haknyeon’s curiosity always got the best of him, perhaps he shouldn't have asked, but before he could say anything their orders were being called. Eric left Haknyeon against the wall, moving to grab their drinks and a pair of straws. </p><p>Haknyeon placed the straw in his coffee, swirling around the ice to cool it down even more than it already was. It would probably make his hands cold on the walk back, even if it wasn’t far, but truthfully he didn’t mind. “I just never do anything for Valentine’s. Which is why I wanted to come visit you, gives me an excuse to say I did something.”</p><p>The context would’ve seemed sad to Haknyeon that Eric wasn’t getting love and adoration on Valentine’s Day, but the way he bounced and smiled through his sentences made it feel like he was content with that. That the day didn’t matter and he wasn’t lonely. It made Haknyeon happy to think that.</p><p>“Yeah, I suppose it's the same for me. Thank you for buying me coffee, by the way. I’m sure I’ll need it.”</p><p>Eric held open the door for Haknyeon to enter the bakery again. He didn’t bother coming in, just moving to say goodbye and leave the bakery. Haknyeon did manage to stop him, the knot in his stomach twisting while he thought about his confession. “Don’t leave yet! I have something for you, let me go grab it.”</p><p>Eric stood in the doorway, holding the door open as Haknyeon shuffled his feet over to the register and asked Sunwoo to hand over Eric’s box of goodies. The knot in his stomach made him feel queasy, the stress of the day falling away for his nervousness to rush back in. He turned on his heels, looking at the floor and his shoes instead of meeting eyes with Eric to approach him.</p><p>“I made you these… sweets. Please take them and enjoy them.”</p><p>Haknyeon handed over the box, Eric immediately taking it and peering inside. “You made these for me? That’s so sweet of you.”</p><p>“You always brighten up my day so, yeah. It was the least I could do.” Haknyeon’s feet were wandering circles against the floor, his eyes meeting Erics just for a moment before glancing away. His cheeks were definitely flushed pink and Eric could tell.</p><p>He laughed, not at him but in gratitude, “That’s cute. Thank you, Haknyeon. I’ll make sure to savor them.”</p><p>Then Eric’s figure was gone and Haknyeon was stuck blushing in the middle of his bakery.</p><p>He got over his embarrassment quickly, especially thanks to Sunwoo, who kept reminding him that it was over and done with and he shouldn’t have any regrets about it. There was nothing he could take back now, so it was up to fate.</p><p>Fate was not kind to them in the after work hours. Sunwoo left around five, right when people started coming in and Haknyeon was already feeling run down. He had finished the coffee Eric had gotten him about an hour ago and as much as it was giving him the energy he needed, his brain just wanted a moment to rest.</p><p>There was hardly time to rest or restock the display for the next hour and half, all the way up until 6:30. He knew it would be like this, it was every year, but it still was mentally and physically exhausting to keep up with.</p><p>Then, the rush was practically over. He started counting the money in the cash register on his stationary, cleaning up the bakery from the long day it had. He made a lot of money today, but at the cost of his body. He ached everywhere, especially his feet and calves from running around all day.</p><p>The trickle was slow, everyone knowing he would be closing at seven. Five minutes till closing a man wandered in, forehead covered in sweat. “Do you still have cookies or brownies? God, anything will do.”</p><p>Haknyeon couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle at the man who approached the counter. “We do, I always make extras just in case. We have brownies, cookies, cupcakes, anything your heart desires.”</p><p>“Brownies, please. Some cookies would be nice too.” The man pulled his wallet out as Haknyeon gathered his choices into a cute box. “I went everywhere looking for sweets and flowers and everything is just… gone.”</p><p>“It's always like that, but love is strong. I’m sure whoever you’re gifting these to will love them.” Haknyeon smiled, handing over the man’s receipt along with the box of goodies. He left a twenty dollar tip in the jar, to which Haknyeon profusely thanked him for, and then he was off into the night.</p><p>Haknyeon cleaned up the area for a moment, glancing at the clock that said 7:03pm. It was dark now, the streetlights outside barely illuminating the sidewalk. He needed to go lock the doors, his thought of doing so being cut off by the sound of the door opening. “I’m sorry, but we’re--”</p><p>He met eyes with two figures in his doorway, the dark haired boy holding the door for the other. He lost his words, forgot how to breathe, everything felt like it froze in that moment. What was happening? His brain was lagging, none of the pieces were connecting together. “Closed.”</p><p>Kevin and Eric, Kevin locking the door behind him and turning the sign that read ‘Open’ to ‘Closed’. Eric was already moving towards the counter, leaning his hip against it as Kevin approached behind him.</p><p>“I can explain!” Haknyeon immediately started. He didn’t know what conclusion his brain had concocted but it came to the only conclusion that could possibly made any sense. “I know I confessed to both of you in those letters! I didn’t mean for either of you to figure it out and--”</p><p>“Slow down, Haknyeon,” Kevin laughed to himself, meeting Eric’s figure at the counter, “If you keep talking that fast you’ll pass out on us.”</p><p>Haknyeon blinked a few times, feeling light headed from how much he worked today. His brain was not fit for trying to play games and he was past confusion at this point. “So… you’re not mad at me?”</p><p>“Why would we be mad at you?” Eric asked, using a hand to beckon that Haknyeon meet them on the other side of the counter. He followed blindly, turning off the lights in the back and hanging his apron on the way. </p><p>“Well, you somehow found out that I confessed to both of you, and I mean liking two people is a bit… weird, I think.” Haknyeon’s steps were light and cautious, as was his tone. He didn’t want to say anything to scare them off any more than he probably already had.</p><p>“Actually, Haknyeon,” Kevin began, taking a step forward and placing a hand on his shoulder to rub gently, a soft smile plastered on his face, “Eric and I are dating.”</p><p>Haknyeon’s entire body flushed, half tearing away from Kevin’s touch to defend himself even more. “Oh my god! I’m so sorry, I had no idea!” Haknyeon rambling had Kevin and Eric exchanging cheeky glances Haknyeon couldn’t even comprehend fully, “If I would’ve known, I would've never said anything! Neither of you mentioned a boyfriend, I’m so--”</p><p>“Babe, calm down,” Eric laughed, grasping onto Haknyeon’s wrist to keep him from backing away any farther. His touch was warm against his wrist, strong at first and slowly dissipating into the brush of a thumb as Haknyeon let his fidgeting still. “We’re open.”</p><p>“What does that mean?”</p><p>“We’re open to having a third in our relationship. The three of us,” Kevin butt in, wrapping an arm around Eric’s waist and pulling their sides together. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed but we have a sort of liking for you too.”</p><p>Haknyeon’s lips parted slightly in awe, glancing between the two of them. Sunwoo had warned him if they both said yes, but this was not exactly what he was expecting. “Am I dreaming?”</p><p>Eric giggled, pushing Kevin off of his hip to signal they should leave. “Definitely not. If you’d like we would love to have you for dinner.”</p><p>“Dinner is on me!” Kevin cheered, raising his jacketed hands in the air, keys jingling in the movement, “Let’s go, boys!”</p><p>“Wait!” Haknyeon called, running into the back to grab his own jacket from the chill outside. By the time he grabbed it, the two boys were already waiting for him at the door, Kevin holding it open for him.</p><p>Haknyeon pulled his jacket on, turning the lights off in the bakery for the night and locking the door behind him. He turned around, Kevin and Eric waiting for him with bright smiles and pink cheeks. It was hard to tell if it was the nip of the wind or because it was Haknyeon standing in front of them. They were beautiful, and they wanted him too, Haknyeon biting his lip in nervousness.</p><p>“So does this mean I can call you both mine?”</p><p>“Only if we can say the same back,” Kevin smiled, unlocking the car with his keys for the three of them to get into.</p><p>“I think I’d like that.”</p>
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